BEST DIGITAL CAMERA BASED ON YOUR NEED

There is always this debate on what is the best digital camera to buy; Who makes the best digital camera out there, Nikon or Canon. The reality, in my opinion, is that to name a camera the best it should be able to fulfill your individual needs.

Unless you’re a professional photographer then these are the cameras I would recommend depending on your needs.

FOR THE GUY WHO LIKES ADVENTURES

If you enjoy the woods, the beach, hiking, climbing, you catch my drift than you need something light, something compact that can fit in your stuffed bags. You need a digital camera that can stand the worst of climate conditions and can keep up with you. So the best digital camera for the adventurous guy is:

OLYMPUS TG4 – $379

This camera is waterproof; it can be submerged down to 50 feet. It can be subjected to sand, can stand subzero temperature and can literally take a beating.

The battery life is the best of any waterproof camera, with a CIPA rating of 380 shots per charge. This number is calculated with GPS and Wi-Fi off, so expect a lot more drain when you’re using either.

KEY FEATURES:

16 MP

4X wide-angle optical zoom with fast f2.0 high speed lens

Shockproof to 7 feet, Crushproof to 220 lb.

RAW capture, Underwater modes with Underwater HDR

Wi-Fi / GPS / e. Compass

1080P HD video

FOR THE GUY WHO LIKES THE RETRO LOOK

Although it may sound vain, this is what these type of cameras do, they make you look cool. Don’t get me wrong, they can definitely deliver on performance and high quality images. If you are looking for a compact camera, with high quality image and that can pull off that retro look made famous in the old days, then this is my recommendation:

FUJIFILM X100T – $1099

There are other cameras that can deliver this look, like the Leica M, but be ready to spend 7K for it. For the price, this camera has it all. The quality images this camera produces have been praised a lot.

It has a fixed 35mm lens and is equipped with a CMOS II APS-C size sensor.

FOR THE GUY WHO NEEDS THE PHOTOS NOW

Lets say you are traveling and instead of saying I’ll send the pictures to you, you say give me a sec; wouldn’t that be something? The digital age has given us many things that have made life easier, but some guys like the old school feel of holding a picture in their hand. What can be better than that? Having it in your hand seconds after taking it. For that you’ll need our next camera:

POLAROID PIC-300 INSTANT FILM – $80

Polaroid has been at it since forever. I remember photographers back in the day using this camera for proofing purposes. In an era where everything is digital they have brought the awesomeness of a printed picture back.

KEY FEATURES:

Takes business card size instant color photos

Four scene settings help capture the perfect shot in any light

Works with Polaroid 300 Instant Film

Automatic Flash feature

1/60 sec electronic shutter

Auto flash in low light, auto adjust

Electronic shutter 1/60 second

FOR THE GUY WHO LIKES TO GO LONG

If you are the kind of guy who likes to shoot landscapes but at the same time would like to sit on a bench and take a picture of the last floor of a 100 story building then there is only one camera for you.

NIKON COOLPIX P900 – $596

This camera is pure awesomeness, I mean it carries a whopping 24 – 2000mm lens, let me write it in case you thought I placed an extra zero, TWO THOUSAND millimeter lens! And it can go all the way to 4000mm in Dynamic Fine Zoom. This is perfect if you like to shoot wildlife. The downside is there Is no raw, no GPS but hey you can take a picture of the moon, literally!

KEY FEATURES:

83x Optical Zoom, 166x Dynamic Fine Zoom super telephoto lens

16 MP CMOS image sensor

Full manual exposure control

Swiveling Vari-angle display and high-resolution eye-level viewfinder

Built in Wi-Fi and Near Field Communication (NFC) for instant sharing

FOR THE GUY WHO LIKES THE NIGHTLIFE

Nightlife photography is a subject on its own. Taking a good photo at night requires some technical ability. Finding the best digital camera to do this, not so easy either. You need to know how to control your ISOs, your shutter speed and even the use of flash or natural lighting. My recommendation for this category is based on a camera that is compact so you can comfortably go out with at night and that meets the specifications needed to achieve good quality night pictures.

SONY CYBERSHOT DSC-RX100 – $948

This is the perfect camera for a professional photographer that wants a compact and carry everywhere camera for his non paying jobs. It carries a F1.8 high quality ZEISS Vario-Sonnar lens, the BIONZ processor for noise reduction and the CMOS EXMOR sensor for efficiency in low light conditions. The ISO ranges from 125 to 6400.

KEY FEATURES:

1 MP 1″ Exmor RS stacked back illuminated CMOS,

High resolution 4K movie recording with direct pixel readout and no pixel binning